A respite came for the six hijab-clad students after the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday decided to list the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court’s verdict that upholds the hijab ban in educational institutions, in the upcoming week.
Appearing for the girls, Advocate Prashant Bhushan pressed on an urgent listing of the matter. “These are the hijab matters from Karnataka. Not been listed at all. Filed in March. Students are facing difficulties,” Bhushan said.
On March 15, the Karnataka high court passed a judgment in favour of the state government where it upheld the decision not to allow the wearing of hijabs inside educational institutions.
Background
The hijab issue began in December last year when six pre-university female students were not allowed inside their classrooms as the administration insisted they remove their hijab or headscarf.
The issue soon spread like wildfire throughout the state where many government educational institutions started following the procedure and stopped hijab-clad students from entering the premises.
The issue then took a nasty turn when Hindu students, dressed up in saffron shawls started protesting against their hijab-clad Muslim classmates. Schools and pre-universities were shut down in order to maintain law and order.
The issue then went to the Karnataka high court which upheld the decision of the state government stating that the hijab is not necessary and students should adhere to the rules of their respective institutions.
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